Why did MI Deny RCB a Home Ground in Mumbai? All Details Here

IPL team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are still in the hunt for a home ground ahead of the next season. With uncertainty over the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the franchise has started exploring new options.

And one among them has been the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, one of the best cricket stadiums in the world. RCB had conversations with the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) along with some other state associations, but Navi Mumbai seemed to be the frontrunner. The venue is also the host to some of the most famous games in the last few years.

However, the Mumbai Indians (MI) have acted as a big hurdle for RCB as they have denied the defending champions from making DY Patil Stadium their home ground for IPL 2026. This came as a massive shock with fans wondering why MI blocked RCB home ground in Mumbai.

Why did MI Deny RCB Home Ground in Mumbai?

As per the reports in The Times of India, the reason behind MI denying RCB a home ground in Mumbai is the concerns related to overlapping catchment areas and long-term implications for Indian Premier League franchises.

Since DY Patil is around the Wankhede Stadium, the home ground of the Mumbai Indians, the five-time champions feel that allowing Royal Challengers Bengaluru to play in Mumbai will set an unhealthy environment for the league going forward.

“If a franchise wants to set up a base at DY Patil (Stadium), it cannot happen without approval from the one operating out of Wankhede. ‘Why only DY Patil and not any other stadium in the country? There are plenty. MI is of the opinion that RCB must exhaust other options before coming to DY Patil. There are so many non-IPL centres in the country," explained the source.

Other Venues for RCB Home Ground 2026

With MI denying RCB to play at DY Stadium in Mumbai, the defending champions have started looking at the other two venues. The reports claim that the franchise is in conversations with authorities of Raipur and Indore.

So far, there is no clarity as to where they will play their home games. There are chances that they might play at M Chinnaswamy, but that looks very unlikely as the stadium still hasn’t got the clearance to host the IPL games.

The KSCA is working hard behind the scenes to get cricket back at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, one of the smallest cricket stadiums in the world. With Venkatesh Prasad at the helm of things, he would want to bring IPL back to the stadium. It remains to be seen what turns out to be RCB new home ground for the next season.